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This school was located at 395 Porter Street, the site of Highland Park School. More about Porter Street, and the man for whom it was named: here.

Sunday, September 10 at 1:00 p.m. at the History Center, 175 Pine Street. Historical Society President Dennis Gleeson has conducted research about Manchester's Civil War soldiers and conditions on both the home front and at the battle lines. Free and open to the public. No RSVP needed -- just come.

495 East Middle Turnpike. Rain or shine. Free. Donations welcome. Sundays from 12:00 noon to 2:00 p.m.

• Sunday, September 10, when we'll have a visit from Aussakita Farm in Manchester -- bringing adorable baby animals. Beverly Logan will lead adults and children in old-fashioned outdoor games. You'll also have the opportunity on September 10 and • September 24 to discover the Woodbridge Farmstead Museum. Take self-guided tours through the eighteenth-century barn and 1830 farmhouse. Check out our Visitor Center displays highlighting the Manchester Green area. The Farmstead is a property of the Manchester Historical Society. The Farmstead Museum is located at Manchester Green, near the intersection of East Middle Turnpike with Woodbridge Street. Visitors can park at the municipal lot behind the Senior Center, in the lot behind the barns, or along the street between the Senior Center and the farmstead itself. From the street, walk to the backyard using the grass driveway between the house and Woodbridge Pizza. Additional open houses are generally on the second and fourth Sunday of the summer months.

For a poster with old and new photos, click Woodbridge open house.

Extra credit: What other project did architects Hapgood & Hapgood work on? Hint: This a contemporary photo. 

Open Wednesday through Friday 10:00 to 2:00, and Saturdays 12:00 noon to 4:00.

Original artwork depicting Manchester's past -- local artists young and old have created artistic expressions in paint, fabric, and photography. Some items are for sale. There are also Manchester maps to admire -- walk down to Room 4 (4th room from the entrance on Pine Street)

Then & Now exhibit

This exhibit tells the story of Manchester's past through photos, objects, and artwork. While you're here, peruse other displays, including vintage signs from former businesses in town, such as Marlow's and Savings Bank of Manchester.

We sell local history items: books, maps, note-cards, magnets, coffee mugs. Hours are the same as the exhibit.

Our volunteers will be at two other locations on Saturday, September 16, so the History Center will be closed. Visit us at Hilliard Mills, 11:00 to 5:00, where we'll have a booth at their free event, carnival, tour, and history celebration. Or visit us at Wickham Park, where a Civil War re-enactment will take place.

Dick Jenkins noted the 9/1/1953 Herald article* about Billy Frey, and sent along info about the 1949 champs. For a larger view, click here.

* The Herald article ran in last week's e-newsletter (see below right).

Our online booklet: 23 hikes for 2023 lists free history hikes. Printed copies of the booklet are available at the History Center, 175 Pine Street during regular hours. Upcoming walks of interest to history buffs and area residents -- FREE. These events will be held rain or shine. Details in the booklet, whose link is above.

Sunday, September 17 from 1:00 to 4:00 (not the second Sunday), featuring a new exhibit room—the Industry and Ingenuity Room. The exhibit displays examples of early wooden gear clocks and describes the Cheneys' significant role in this important craft, the arc of inquisitive minds in Early America and their role in the world we know today. Sturbridge Village master craftsman Tom Vaughn will share knowledge and showcase his wondrous additions to the exhibit. The open house includes tours of the 1785 Homestead and art gallery.

was mailed to members. You can read it online here.

Sunday September 24 at the History Center, 175 Pine Street, Manchester. • 11:00 a.m. -- annual meeting. The public is invited, although only members can vote at the annual meeting. • 12:00 noon -- luncheon buffet, catered by:A Villa Louisa. Menu includes chicken Piccata, seafood-stuffed sole, mixed green salad, oven-roasted potatoes and carrots. $35.00/person. Entertainment by the Silk City Jazz Band.

RSVP by September 9 at 860-647-9983 or admin-assistant@manchesterhistory.org. Mail checks to: Manchester Historical Society, 175 Pine Street, Manchester CT, 06040

An amazing collection scanned by dedicated volunteers! They're searchable. See them here.

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50 years ago in The Manchester Herald

Clippings from Saturday, September 8, 1973, with commentary (on the Editorial page) about the tornado that ripped through the North End of Manchester. See the whole edition: September 8, 1973 Herald, or to peruse all our Heralds, see: Index of Heralds. See a history of The Herald on our website.

The entire book has been scanned and it's searchable on our website here.

This aedicule is in the entryway to the former Hall of Records, now the Greater Manchester Probate Court at 66 Center Street. The Hapgood firm designed the Connecticut State Library in Hartford, across the street from the Capitol. More about the aedicule and the 1896 building here.

You can watch this month's show at any time on the Public Access website -- just click "Knofla & Case" show on Public Access TV. This month, our 58-minute show features 2015 interviews with George Beauregard and Marshall Lamenzo as they talk about two businesses from Manchester's past. Photo above left, an addition to Center Church, one of the Knofla projects. The TV show is produced by Historical Society volunteers. The show airs at 12:00 noon and 8:00 p.m. on Cox cable channel 15 on Saturdays, and runs on all the Saturdays of the month. The show changes each month. This Channel 15 broadcasts in Manchester, Glastonbury, South Windsor, Wethersfield, Rocky Hill, and Newington. You can watch this month's show ANY TIME on the Public Access website (see link above).

Saturday, October 7, and the first Saturday of each month, except holidays, through December, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Open house and socializing at the 1859 former school, located at 126 Cedar Street. There are exhibits, artwork, old maps, and a small museum shop with local-history items for sale. Come for a few minutes, or stay longer. Our hosts may be able to help you with some research -- there is a collection of Town directories at the museum. Visit with hosts Bob Kanehl and Art Pongratz. Free admission. Donations welcome.

←click the image to view the booklet.

This booklet was published in 1923, the Town's 100th anniversary of incorporation. Lots of interesting info, photos, and advertisements from 100 years ago.

Enjoy the large collection of Somanhis (South Manchester High School) and junior high yearbooks on our website. In addition to photos of the graduating seniors, these books have ads for local businesses, photos of school activities, and sometimes poetry and prose by the students. Thanking our volunteers, especially Bob Gauthier, Noreen Cullen, Jim Hall, Joshua Pruden, Dick Jenkins, Susan Barlow.

The Homestead at 106 Hartford Road, Manchester, was donated to the Manchester Historical Society by the Cheney family in 1968 for use as a house museum. It's usually open to the public one Sunday per month and for special programs at other times throughout the year. For old photos and history of the Homestead, built in 1785, visit Cheney Homestead history. The replica Keeney Schoolhouse is on the grounds of the Homestead. Originally built in 1751, the schoolhouse had deteriorated so much that new materials had to be incorporated in the 1976 reconstruction.

The History Center at 175 Pine Street, Manchester, was purchased in 1999. Our offices and many collections are in this building, which is the former Cheney Brothers Machine Shop, a 40,000-square-foot building constructed in several phases beginning in 1895. For the current exhibit, it's open Wednesday through Friday from 10:00 to 2:00, and Saturday 12:00 noon to 4:00. Visit: photo tour of lower level of History Center.

The Old Manchester Museum at 126 Cedar Street, Manchester, is owned by the Town of Manchester, and the Society has rented it since the 1980s. We store collections there, and open it to the public on the first Saturday of the month, May through December from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., staffed by hosts Art Pongratz and Bob Kanehl. The building was formerly a school, built in 1859, and moved to this location in 1914. More: Old Manchester Museum.

Woodbridge Farmstead at 495 East Middle Turnpike, at Manchester Green, is a charming combination of vintage buildings and a bucolic landscape. The farmhouse dates from 1830. The Woodbridge Farm and Meadowbrook Dairy once encompassed many acres at Manchester Green. Today, the house and grounds are owned by the Manchester Historical Society – a gift from the late Raymond and Thelma Carr Woodbridge, who gave the property in 1998, reserving a life use. Weather permitting, the farmstead is open for free tours and programs generally on the second and fourth Sundays of the warmer months, from 12:00 noon to 2:00 p.m. Closed for the season.

Silk Vault Building at 110 Elm Street, Manchester, was purchased by the Society in 2017. A unique building, constructed in 1920. More: Silk Vault. The vault is rented out, and isn't open to the public.

Consider a gift membership for a friend or loved one. Why join a local historical society, even if you don't live in that town? Some reasons: • support education about the history of the town • support preservation of artifacts and vintage photos • join in advocating for preservation of historic buildings and parks that make Manchester charming.

Print this online donation form and mail to 175 Pine Street. Or drop by the History Center, Tuesdays through Fridays from 10:00 to 2:00. Direct questions to 860-647-9983.

Additional ways to donate: Employer matching gifts! Direct United Way donations to the Society. Sign in to Amazon via Amazon Smile and have a percentage of your purchases go to the Society. .